Efficacy of Electroencephalographic Monitoring for the Evaluation of Intracranial Injury during Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support in Neonates and Infants / 대한구급학회지

BACKGROUND: Neurological complications are a serious concern during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support in neonates and infants. However, evaluating brain injury during ECMO has limitations. Herein, we report our experience with bedside electroencephalographic monitoring during ECMO support and compared this to post-ECMO brain imaging studies and immediate neurologic outcomes. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the data for 18 children who underwent ECMO. From these subjects, we reviewed the medical records of 10 subjects who underwent bedside EEG monitoring during ECMO support. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical details of the ECMO course, electroencephalographic monitoring, brain imaging results, and neurologic outcomes. RESULTS: The median age was 4 months (range: 7 days-22 months), the median weight was 5 (3.6-12) kg, and the median length of ECMO therapy was 86 (27-206) hours. Eight patients (80%) were weaned successfully, and seven (70%) survived to discharge. Those with normal to mildly abnormal electroencephalographic findings had non-specific to mildly abnormal brain computed tomography findings and no neurologic impairment. Those patients with a moderately to severely abnormal electroencephalograph had markedly abnormal brain computed tomography findings and remained neurologically impaired. CONCLUSIONS: Normal electroencephalographic findings are closely related to normal or mild neurologic impairment. Our results indicate that electroencephalographic monitoring during ECMO support can be a feasible tool for evaluating brain injury although further prospective studies are needed.

Aortic Periannular Abscess Invading into the Central Fibrous Body, Mitral Valve, and Tricuspid Valve

A 61-year-old man was diagnosed with aortic stenoinsufficiency with periannular abscess, which involved the aortic root of noncoronary sinus (NCS) that invaded down to the central fibrous body, whole membranous septum, mitral valve (MV), and tricuspid valve (TV). The open complete debridement was executed from the aortic annulus at NCS down to the central fibrous body and annulus of the MV and the TV, followed by the left ventricular outflow tract reconstruction with implantation of a mechanical aortic valve by using a leaflet of the half-folded elliptical bovine pericardial patch. Another leaflet of this patch was used for the repair of the right atrial wall with a defect and the TV.

Myocardial Hamartoma Involving the Posterior Left Ventricular Wall: Surgical Experience of One Case / 대한흉부외과학회지

A 16 year-old boy was admitted to our department because of mild chest discomfort and mild dyspnea. A mass involving posterior wall of the left ventricle near posterior mitral annulus was found on echocardiography and cardiac MRI. Total excision of the mass was performed via posterior ventriculotomy under the cardiopulmonary bypass. The pathologic diagnosis revealed mature cardiac myocyte hamartoma. There was no evidence of arrhythmia and tumor recurrence during the 1 year of follow up after the surgery.

Granular Cell Tumor Arising from the Left Main Bronchus : A case report / 대한흉부외과학회지

Granular cell tumors (GCT) are uncommon benign neoplasms. Their location is mostly in the the skin, tongue, and breast; appearance in other parts of the body is rare, but it has been reported. They have also been reported to occur synchronously in multiple organs and metachronously in a single organ. The incidence of GCTs in the tracheobronchial tree is unknown and pulmonary GCTs are uncommon, with approximately 100 reported cases in the literature. We present the case of a 33-year-old man with a granular cell tumor of the left main bronchus. The tumor was found at bronchoscopy performed to exclude suspected endobronchial mass with symptoms of pneumonia. Biopsies revealed the histological pattern of a benign granular cell tumor. He underwent resection of the left main bronchus followed by end to end anastomosis of left main bronchus. He has not had any recurrence of the tumor during the 1 year follow-up.

Clinical Results of Pulmonary Resection for Hemoptysis of Inflammatory Lung Disease / 대한흉부외과학회지

BACKGROUND: To assess the outcome of pulmonary resection in the management of hemoptysis caused by benign inflammatory lung disease. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A longitudinal cohort study of 45 consecutive patients who were presented with hemoptysis and were treated with pulmonary resection from January 1995 to May 2004. The predictive preoperative risk factors of morbidity and recurrence of hemoptysis were analyzed. The mean age of the patients was 47.1 years. The mean follow-up was 35+/-34 months. RESULT: The overall hospital mortality rate was 4.4% (2/45). Postoperative complications occurred in 8 patients (18.6%). Complications were more common in patients who received blood transfusion than non-transfused patients (p=0.002). Patients with tuberculous destroyed lung disease had more amount of preoperative hemoptysis (p=0.002), more probability of transfusion (p=0.001), more probability of undergoing pneumonectomy (p=0.039) and more probability of postoperative morbidity. Patients of undergoing pneumonectomy had more probability of reoperation due to postoperative bleeding (p=0.047). Hemoptysis recurred in five patients but three had been subsided and two sustained during follow-up. A latter two patients had been prescribed with antituberculosis medication due to relapse of tuberculosis. CONCLUSION: A tuberculous destroyed lung disease has a higher rate of postoperative morbidity than other inflammatory lung diseases. A pneumonectomy in patients of inflammatory lung disease should be performed with great caution especially because of postoperative bleeding. Future study with longer and larger follow-up might show the reasons of recurrence of hemoptysis.